Thruhiking Amazing, Stunning Arizona Trail: Ribbon Falls-Bright Angel Campground

In the land of Arizona
Through desert heat or snow
Winds a trail for folks to follow
From Utah to Old Mexico

It’s the Arizona Trail
A pathway through the great Southwest
A diverse track through wood and stone
Your spirit it will test

Oh, sure you’ll sweat and blister
You’ll feel the miles every day
You’ll shiver at the loneliness
Your feet and seat will pay

But you’ll see moonlight on the borderlands
You’ll see stars on the Mogollon
You’ll feel the warmth of winter sun
And be thrilled straight through to bone

The aches and pains will fade away
You’ll feel renewed and whole
You’ll never be the same again
With Arizona in your soul

Along the Arizona Trail
A reverence and peace you’ll know
Through deserts, canyons, and mountains
From Utah to Old Mexico
-“The Arizona Trail,” Dale R. Shewalter

It’s getting dark when I rejoin the trail, so I’ll supplement this stretch with some photos from May. The trail enters the Box for the final several miles to Bright Angel Campground. This narrow section of the canyon is carved out of the Vishnu Schist, some of the oldest rock visible in the world (about 1.8 billion years old). The trail is stuck between Bright Angel Creek and the wall of the canyon, criss-crossing the creek to whichever side affords slightly more room. During the day in the summer, the black schist absorbs and radiates heat from the sun.

Official temperature readings at Phantom Ranch are taken in the shade, and can reach 120-130º F (50º C+). Temperatures can climb significantly higher in the sun and when accounting for the radiant heat contributed by the rocks; it’s also not uncommon to reach radiant temperatures over 140º F in the Inner Canyon, including the Box. Overnight temperatures rarely drop below 70 degrees in the summer. Last summer, people’s shoes quite literally melted on the rocks and rangers successfully cooked eggs on them. It’s like a geologic convection oven, a miniature Death Valley. Please do not attempt hiking in the Inner Canyon during the hours of 10-4 from May-September.

Bright Angel Canyon is the widest portion of Grand Canyon, stretching 18 miles between the North Rim, where it separates the developed area from the Walhalla Plateau and Cape Royal, and the South Rim at Grand Canyon Village. Like many side canyons in the Grand Canyon complex, it is formed along a fault line. Faults leads to cracks in the rocks and allow water to more easily erode them in those areas.

Reaching Bright Angel Campground, I set up shop at the stock site as assigned and stretch out on one of the picnic tables. Time to get some good rest for the night to prepare for the hike out tomorrow. I have some friends planning a bit of a welcoming event for me when I reach the South Rim.

For my other entries on hiking the AZT in Grand Canyon, check out the following:
Amazing, Stunning Arizona Trail: Grand Canyon North Rim-Roaring Springs – Aspen’s Tracks (aspenstracks.com)
Amazing, Spectacular Arizona Trail: Grand Canyon, Roaring Springs-Ribbon Falls – (aspenstracks.com),
https://aspenstracks.com/arizona-trail-day-8-grand-canyon-ribbon-falls-to-bright-angel-campground/
Amazing, Spectacular Arizona Trail – Bright Angel CG (Colorado River)-South Rim – (aspenstracks.com)

For the National Park Service official advice on day hiking and backpacking below the rim at Grand Canyon, including on the AZT, check out the following:
Introduction to Backcountry Hiking (nps.gov)
Day Hiking – Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)